Lesson Topic Poem Count That Day Lost by

Lesson Topic: Poem: Count That Day Lost by George Eliot - Basic Understanding, Interpretation and Analysis Name of Teacher: Susan Strikovsky Target Class: 10 th Grade Lesson Place in the Curriculum: Lesson Five

Table of Contents • • • Introduction George Eliot Pre-Reading Basic Understanding- Stanza One Basic Understanding- Stanza Two Analysis and Interpretation: Rhyme • Analysis and Interpretation: Simile • Choice of Simile by George Eliot • Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTs) - Compare and Contrast-Definitions • Compare and Contrast in the First stanza • Contrast in the First and Second Stanza • Conclusion

Introduction Who is this woman?

George Eliot was an English female writer and poet. She lived in England during the Victorian Age in Queen Victoria’s times (1837 -1901). Her real name was Mary Anne.

George Eliot She studied Greek literature and languages (very rare for women at the time). She became a writer and chose a male pen name, George Eliot, to make sure her work would be taken seriously.

Pre- Reading Look at the pictures. Which of these activities would cause your day to be a good one? Which ones would make your day a bad one?

Basic Understanding- Stanza One The poem describes two possible outcomes of a day: The 1 st stanza describes a day "well spent" – a day when you did something good for someone else, when you helped others or showed kindness to others. If you reflect on your actions at the end of such a day, your day has not been lost because of the joy it brought to another person.

Basic Understanding- Stanza Two This stanza describes a day "worse than lost" – a day when you did nothing to help or comfort anyone.

Analysis and Interpretation: Rhyme Definition of Rhyme: Rhyme is the use of words with a similar sound, often at the ends of lines of poetry. Can you find some examples of Rhyme in the poem?

Rhyme Stanza 1 - sun-done, find-kind, went-spent Stanza 2 - day-nay, all-small, trace-face, cost-lost

Analysis and Interpretation: Simile A simile is a comparison in which one thing is described as being similar to another. A simile usually includes the words like or as.

Analysis and Interpretation: Simile Example from the poem: George Eliot uses a Simile in the lines below: "One glance most kind - That fell like sunshine where it went"

Choice of Simile by George Eliot The sun is associated with a good feeling and positivity. When you do something good it works both ways: it makes the other person smile and the fact you made someone happy makes you feel good as well.

Choice of Simile by George Eliot The poem was written by an English poet in England where the sun is quite rare and therefore it is something that English people appreciate and look forward to.

Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTs) Compare and Contrast-Definitions To compare (comparison)- to look for similarities. To contrast - to look for differences among two or more elements. (Contrast comes from the Latin root contra, and means "against. ")

Compare and Contrast in the First stanza -Both stanzas are about a certain type of day. - In both stanzas we count our deeds at the end of the day, at set of sun.

Compare and Contrast in the First stanza - There is repetition of words and phrases in both stanzas. For instance, the words "sunshine", "you" and others are repeated in both stanzas. - Both stanzas have the same structure.

Contrast in the First and Second Stanza Differences: The subject of the first stanza is doing at least one good deed every day. The outcome is that this will make your day worthwhile.

Contrast in the First and Second Stanza - The second stanza talks about a day in which you do not do anything helpful for another person. The outcome is that your day will be wasted and even worse than lost. - The rhymes themselves are different.

Today’s Lesson as about: Poem: Count That Day Lost by George Eliot - Basic Understanding and Analysis Next Lesson was about: Poem: Count That Day Lost by George Eliot - Bridging Text, Context and Theme